ethereal
by melahun
Summary: she was ethereal, fading in and out of his life each week. each time she slipped through his fingers, he told himself to get over it. implications of prostitution. rokunami
1. Chapter 1

_she was ethereal._

roxas first saw naminé on a sunny day. it was a thursday around 11am. the seasons were just beginning to transition from an exciting, busy summer to a cool, calm fall. he had to go pick something up on the way to work, so he took the train. axel was with him - he was also sent on the task to buy something, too. the train might have a delay, causing the passengers to grumble around. or maybe the train got so crowded that other people had to step off and wait for the next one. roxas wasn't too sure of all these minor details. he was too busy staring at the girl sitting across from him.

she was pale. everything about her was just _pale_. her skin itself was pale, her blonde hair was a much paler shade than roxas's, even her striking blue eyes were a pale, ethereal shade. she was sitting directly across from him, looking at a silver watch perched on her delicate wrist. the clothes she was wearing didn't suit her appearance - a black, lacy and low cut v-neck that showed her midriff, a puffy black vest over it, ripped jean shorts and black strappy heels. it seemed like she was trying to show off as much skin as possible.

the girl didn't seem to appreciate it as much as the men around her did, squirming in her seat and constantly pulling at her clothes.

roxas, to be simple, was awed. despite wearing such racy clothes, she seemed to radiate an innocent, pure vibe around her. luckily, axel was sitting next to him, shaking him out of his reverie when the train arrived at their stop. as they got up, roxas noticed the girl mirror his movements, also getting up and walking out the train doors. she was taking deep breaths and had a sad expression on before a man came up to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. he didn't look very young and neither was he good-looking, which bothered roxas a little. the moment she spotted the man, the mysterious girl slipped on a bright smile, though roxas could still see hints of sadness behind it.

axel pulled on his arm, clearly annoyed. roxas turned away from the scene and continued on to his plans made that day.

that was four weeks ago.

from that day on, the girl always got off that stop. every single day, there was a man there to pick her up. the man changed every couple days, sometimes a different man picking her up consecutively. she looked more tired with each passing day, and some bruises had started to line up her hips and neck (he felt that she should really stop wearing those clothes, they did not suit her appearance and it revealed too much to the world). roxas felt that he was becoming a bit of a stalker, but he stopped and denied it to himself, saying he was just wondering what the reason behind the girl's sadness was.

then came that one day.

there are lots of days in a week, but it just happened to be a thursday when he found her lying next to a dumpster. it was four weeks since the first time he saw her. she had disappeared for the past two days. roxas was heading home and considering not going to the train tomorrow because he probably would not see her (yes, that was the only reason why he took the train to work. axel thinks roxas is whipped. which is ridiculous, really. he doesn't even know the girl.) when he nearly tripped over her hand on the ground. it was raining that day.

roxas would not have noticed her if she had not stood out so much with her paleness against the darkness of the alleyway the dumpster was in. she was lying down in a hazardous position - her arms were stretched above her, hair covering her face, legs slightly bent. it was not raining that hard, thankfully, but her clothes were soaked and she had bruises all over her body.

roxas did not bring his umbrella with him, opting instead for a raincoat on the walk to the train station from his apartment. he took one look and immediately recognized the motionless girl on the ground; without a second thought, he took his raincoat off and placed it over her. he picked her up bridal style and jogged back to his apartment with the stranger in his arms.

* * *

naminé woke up on a warm and soft bed for the first time in four weeks. she was incredibly tired and sore all over. although she would have loved to dive back into the pristine white sheets, she immediately realized that the bed she was in was not familiar to her. panicking, she sat up quickly and was immediately hit by a wave of pain. a groan slipped out of her mouth as she winced and sank back down in the cotton sheets.

"i see you're awake now." a gentle voice rang out in the room.

naminé looked up, ignoring the throbbing in her head and soreness all over, eyes wide, and spotted the owner of the voice. it was a man - and a very handsome one, too. he had blonde, spiky hair, tan skin, and cerulean eyes. she looked down at herself. she still had her own clothes on, even if it did not do much justice in covering her up. after ensuring that, she wrapped herself up in the blanket she was snuggled in and backed away from the man as much as she could.

the man caught on to what she was thinking and quickly added, "don't worry, i didn't do anything. i would never take advantage of a helpless woman like you. i just found you on the street, practically dying out there in the cold." naminé hesitated to trust him. you can never be too cautious. the man saw that there was no point in trying to convince her that he wasn't a dirty pervert, so he changed the topic. "are you alright? do you want anything to eat?"

naminé shook her head furiously. as soon as she denied his offer, her stomach was heard growling for food. she blushed, angry at herself for looking weak in front of the stranger. she heard a chuckle and looked up.

he was smiling and trying to hold back laughter as he turned away from her. she stared at his back, appalled at his reaction.

"come on, i cooked up some lunch." he said, turning his head to meet naminé's eyes. when he walked away, naminé considered whether or not she should follow him. her mind thought up of all sorts of possibilities of what could happen if she did - and all of them ended badly. however, she was curious and a very hungry girl. nothing would happen if she were to stay in this room. she slowly got up and staggered towards the door. her head was stuffy and she probably was not in her right mind at the moment.

naminé cautiously peeked out the door and took in her surroundings. outside her room (could she call it hers?) was a small and clean hall. the walls were pristine white and the floor was clean. no decorations were in sight, making it seem eerily empty. she stepped out of her hiding place and walked down the hall, still observing everything. her steps were soft and quiet against the hardwood floor and she stopped when she came to the end of the hall.

she had arrived at what seems to be a living room. after further observation, she saw the kitchen counter and a plate of food. her stomach rumbled louder if possible at the sight. a blonde head popped up from behind the counter. the man spotted naminé and grinned.

"i was wondering when you would come. nobody can resist my delicious cooking!" he exclaimed, waving around a spatula dangerously. naminé kept her face void of expression and quietly sat down at the counter in front him. seeing her lack of reaction, the man put down his spatula.

she looked at the plate. it was a stack of pancakes with maple syrup dribbled all over it. hesitating, naminé reached for the fork next to her plate and cut it with the side of the utensil in her shaky hands. she held it up to her face, examining it.

"you look like you're expecting it to be poisoned," the man's voice interrupted, startling naminé, "i don't look that suspicious, do i?"

naminé finally looked up and met the stranger's eyes for the first time. to her amazement, his eyes were a brilliant, vibrant shade of cerulean, a stark contrast to her pale blue, almost gray, drab color. he seemed caught off guard that she had met his eyes, but he smiled nonetheless.

"by the way, my name is roxas."

she nodded stiffly. looking down at the piece of pancake she had gotten, she brought it to her lips and nibbled on it a little. _it tastes good, i want more_, her stomach screamed at her. she took a bigger bite this time and continued to dig in her food until the plate was clean.

"i see you enjoyed the meal." roxas smiled proudly. naminé looked up and flushed. she did not mean to lose control and eat the whole plate. well, at least her stomach was filled. she instinctively looked down at her plate, which had disappeared, and looked back up to see roxas taking it. he turned his back towards her and placed the dish in the sink. "i never got your name, by the way."

she hesitated. was this a good idea? "…naminé."

* * *

roxas stilled. he heard her voice for the first time. he could not stop wondering about her the whole time she was sleeping on his bed.

her voice was beautiful. naminé suited the girl perfectly. unique, yet elegant. he could not imagine a better voice or name to her.

"…well, hello, naminé," he turned to face her and held out his hand. "nice to meet you."

naminé stared at his hand for several minutes, debating whether or not she should take it. roxas felt a bit slighted. he did not seem that creepy, did he? he was sure that he didn't give her the impression that he was a pervert. well, besides the fact that he took her home. it's not like he touched her or anything!

she slowly reached for his hand and shook it. "hello," she said, not meeting his eyes once again. roxas felt slightly relieved. at least she trusts him a tiny bit.

"now that we know a little bit about each other, do you mind if i ask you what you were doing out in the rain?" it was a bit straightforward, but roxas thought it might relate to why she always looked so sad.

he sensed her still. "...yes, i do mind." she answered stiffly.

"i see. that was rude of me to ask, i'm sorry." as disappointed as he was, roxas didn't blame her. it must be a personal issue that should not exactly be shared with complete strangers that take you to their home in the pouring rain.

speaking of the rain, roxas walked to his balcony windows and pulled aside a curtain to check out what the weather was like outside. it was still raining buckets. he turned away to look at the girl at his counter. she shifted uncomfortably and shivered a little in her damp, skimpy clothes. roxas noticed the small movement and mentally smacked himself for not noticing sooner.

"do you want to borrow my clothes? you look a little cold in that. sorry, my apartment doesn't have very good insulation." naminé, once again, hesitated before accepting his offer. he shuffled off to get some clothes for her.

* * *

an hour later, naminé was sitting at his kitchen counter in a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, both several sizes too big for her. his t-shirt went down to the middle of her thighs and the sleeves was to her elbow. she had to roll his sweatpants up a few times in order to keep it from dragging on the floor. roxas personally thought that she looked better in his clothes rather than the small, revealing clothing she wore earlier. he had made a cup of coffee for himself and a glass of water when naminé politely declined his offer of tea or coffee. now, he was standing across from her, watching her as she shifted around, uncomfortable in her new surroundings.

"... could you please stop staring at me?" she muttered, staring at the shiny marble countertop.

roxas immediately snapped himself out of it. what was he thinking!? this wasn't like him - he had much better manners than this.

"sorry," he replied as he looked away. "i- well- you- i mean-" his failed attempts at explaining his staring eventually trailed off when naminé whispered_ it's okay_ and hid her face behind her hair. oh god, what did he do this time!? roxas wanted to smack himself.

he did.

naminé's head snapped up to at the resounding _smack_ when roxas's hand made contact with his face. this time it was her turn to stare, watching roxas rub his reddening cheek and saying _ow_.

"of course it would hurt," she deadpanned, "why would you even hurt yourself like that?"

roxas's face reddened even more, but not because of the physical pain he caused himself.

"i don't know..." he honestly didn't know. maybe it was to make sure he wasn't dreaming, that the unhappy yet beautiful girl he sees on the train is actually _here_, right in front of _him_, in his own _home_. he took a sip of his coffee and ruffled his hair to hide some of his embarrassment.

the girl sighed and shook her head. "i thought you were a creepy guy at first for taking me to your place, but now i think you're just a creepy idiot."

well, at least his slap was a conversation starter.

* * *

she is incredibly stupid. why is she talking so comfortably with him? what happened to _don't talk to strangers_? ...not that the saying really applied to her anyway. she might as well try to find out about her situation so she can solve it.

"how did you find me?"

the man raised an eyebrow. "i already told you," he put his cup of coffee down, "i found you lying on the street."

"where?"

he thought about it for a minute before answering. his brow furrowed a little as he tried to recall. "next to a dumpster in an alleyway, i think. it's a good thing you stood out so much or else i wouldn't have found you. you were covered in bruises..." he stood up straighter as his hand twitched a little bit on the cool surface of the countertop. "i forgot! are you alright?"

naminé quickly replied with her standard reply; _it's alright, i'm okay_. she tried to recall the memories that occurred before she passed out. her head hurt when she tried. she tried to ease her headache by massaging her temples, igniting the worry from the blonde man in front of her.

"are you sure you're okay? do you want any medicine? i have some tylenol or some advil if you want-"

"no!" naminé shouted, almost jumping off the chair when she raised a hand to stop him from rushing to his bathroom. "i'm okay," she said quietly. "really," she added when she saw that he was not convinced, "i'm fine, uh..."

"it's roxas," he answered. _right. his name is roxas._ "and if you insist...you don't look alright, though." he slowly moved back to his previous position.

"right," she whispered, more to herself than to him, "roxas..."

there was a short silence until naminé asked for a glass of water, hoping to calm her headache down. as she sipped her water, a long silence ensued. the man - roxas, she quickly reminded herself, she should really start remembering people's names - continued to stare at her absentmindedly.

"where is your home?"

* * *

_dammit_. he told himself he wouldn't ask any intrusive questions until she was comfortable. she jumped at the sudden break in silence and quickly averted her eyes. she shrugged noncommittally.

"do you have a home?" god, he hoped he didn't sound like an inconsiderate jerk while asking her this. he ruffled his hair in frustration and stared at the table.

naminé looked at her empty glass of water. "...maybe. i don't know."

he smiled at her even though she wasn't looking. he didn't need her to see it. he knew she could feel it. "you can think of this place as home, if you want." she looked up and stared at him blankly. his smile slipped a little. "i mean, i know we just met, but i've seen you around the train station a lot, and you always look sad and lost, so i just figured you- i mean, you don't have to- oh god, i sound like an actual creep now, i am so sorry, i don't mean to-"

he almost missed her small smile as she softly said, "thank you."

* * *

hola my friends this is melahun here (and yes i did indeedy do change my penname)

so this is a rokunami fic!1! i hope you enjoy it so far! i'll try to update biweekly (i'm not trying to set a high goal for myself OTL) because i already have three chapters (including this one) written out already heh. you may also have noticed (right away) that the sentences aren't capitalized! i'm sorry, really, but this is the way i type and i was going to change it when i realized that if i changed it then i would have to change all 20+ pages of it on my google docs of this. so if it bothers you, i'm really sorry! there's not really anything i can do about it. maybe when i have free time i can go back and fix it, but for now please deal with it as best you can. (to be honest i usually post on livejournal and i believe that leaving the caps off leaves an artistic quality to it, but that really only looks good on livejournal. i'm sorry ; - ; )

also because i personally think that the reading format isn't really the best/isn't artistic or design-worthy enough for me, i will also be uploading this on my livejournal! i personally think it has a better reading format if you're on the computer, so be sure to check it out on my profile!

reviews are love and love is what i run on! so please give me lotsa reviews and critiques please!

thanks,

mel


	2. Chapter 2

naminé stared at her reflection in the mirror blankly. what is she doing? was she given some weird drug that made her a weak and trusting creature? she shook her head, wincing at the pain caused by it.

as she stood there, she thought about her options. one, run away the moment the man wasn't looking and sleep in some dark alleyway where she will probably be kidnapped or have her things stolen again. two, run away and possibly be caught by someone she knew. three, stay here and possibly be murdered by the man who actually turns out to be a serial killer on the run. four, stay here and not be killed by possible serial killer on the run, but end up being the man's personal slave forever in order to repay her staying over. she frowned. all of them weren't very favorable.

mulling over it for a few more minutes, she was interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door.

"naminé?" she heard, "are you okay? you've been in there for a while now."

"i'm fine, don't worry about it," she called. "i'll be out soon."

"alright then..."

she heard footsteps walking away from her and sighed. he was probably going to watch over her like a hawk when she gets out, so it's not like she can leave. she might as well stay and risk her life. it's not like she has much to risk anyway, she thought as she opened the door slowly and stepped out.

* * *

"here, you can sleep in my room." roxas gestured towards the room naminé was in earlier.

naminé's eyes widened. "no, it's alright, i would much rather-"

"please don't start on that polite stuff; i wouldn't be able to sleep properly if i knew you were on the couch."

she was about to reject when she saw roxas's determined face and hesitantly accepting his offer. "if you insist..." she said and headed to his room.

roxas sighed to himself when he heard the door close softly. he went to the storage closet and grabbed some extra blankets from the top shelf. _what a day_, he thought to himself as he plopped onto the couch and pulled the blankets over him, _i'm don't even know why i'm doing all this. for a complete stranger, too!_

he closed his eyes for a minute and opened them to stare at the white ceiling. _well, no matter what happens, there's always tomorrow, right?_

* * *

the next morning, roxas was woken up by the slamming of doors and small feet padding along the couch he was on.

"roxas?" a soft voice called out. "roxas, are you awake?" he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. his eyebrow twitched. "your alarm just went off in your room..."

he groaned as he tries to roll onto his back and ends up on the floor. "ow!" he yelped, fully awake now. looking up, he saw naminé's amused face looking down upon him.

"good morning," she greeted him unblinkingly.

"mornin'," roxas replied groggily as he sat up and ruffled his hair. "what time is it?"

"8:45. your alarm clock just went off. i figured you needed to be somewhere soon."

"8:45?"

"well, 8:47 now."

roxas groaned again and fell back on the floor. "ugh, i'm late for work again. thanks."

naminé got up and headed to the kitchen. "do you need coffee? i can probably make some for you if you wan-" she turned back to see roxas's place on the couch empty. puzzled, she looked around. "r-roxas?"

"i would appreciate a cup of coffee, thanks naminé!" roxas shouted as he ran from the bathroom to his bedroom across the hall. his words were slightly jumbled together because he had a toothbrush in his mouth. naminé was surprised. he didn't look like he would move at all five seconds ago. she gave the empty space where he was moments ago a small smile and turned back to the kitchen.

* * *

roxas got ready, downed his mug of coffee and left in the span of seven minutes. when he shouted his goodbyes and slammed the door as he left, naminé raised an eyebrow. is he seriously going to leave her alone in his apartment all day? he trusts a complete stranger alone in his house? this guy is too trusting.

_still..._, naminé thought,_ he did save me from the storm. and i don't think he did anything last night_. she checked herself over, looking for any new bruises or pain. despite his flaws, he is a good guy. _not that i should be judging_, she mentally added rather bitterly.

naminé looked around. his apartment was in a bit of a mess since he left in such a rush. maybe she should clean it? after all, it's not like she has anywhere to be. even if she breaks something priceless, she can always walk out and run away. but naminé wouldn't do that, of course. her pride (as if she has any left) wouldn't allow it.

so, naminé walked down the hall, opening every door she encounters and looking in. upon opening a door that looks like a storage closet, she smiled triumphantly and took out a bunch of cleaning supplies.

* * *

"well, i thought to make up for me staying with you i would do some chores around the house and help you out."

"...tell me, have you actually done any sort of cleaning before?"

roxas didn't actually need to ask. the moment he walked into his home from a long day at work, he heard a crash and saw naminé standing in the middle of the room with a guilty look on her face. fortunately, he wasn't very emotionally attached to that vase.

"well, i mean it's not that hard, right? i've seen plenty of people do it before!" naminé weakly tried to defend herself. roxas didn't know if he should sigh or chuckle. _it's the thought that counts, anyway._

naminé frowned. "if you just let me get the hang of it, i can easily clean this room." whoops. roxas didn't realize he had actually said that out loud. he needs to stop doing that.

"it's fine," roxas tried to reassure her again, "i want you to meet some people. come with me," roxas gestured her out the door and followed after her into the hall. naminé stood there awkwardly outside roxas's apartment door, confused and not knowing what was going on. she looked around and observed her surroundings, having never been outside his apartment before.

roxas walked across the hall to the door opposite his and knocked. when no answer came, he knocked again, this time more loudly. he frowned a little as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot. naminé watched the whole process curiously. she looked around once more.

"roxas?"

roxas stopped tapping his foot and looked over his shoulder. "yeah?"

"um, what floor is this?"

"it's the fourteenth floor. why do you ask?"

"no reason..." naminé opened her mouth to say something else, but roxas began knocking again and sighed frustratedly.

"axel! open the door! i want you to meet someone!" he shouted at the door. no answer again. he frowned as he ruffled his hair and turned to naminé. "sorry about that. i guess my friend isn't in right now, but maybe you two can meet tomorrow! maybe axel went out after work. i didn't see him leaving the office..." he said to her, muttering the last part more to himself.

"that's alright. i don't mind."

"that's great! are you hungry? i can whip something up or order takeout if you want." roxas said as he turned back and started heading back into his apartment.

"i'm fine," naminé replied as she followed him back, "who is axel?"

"oh, just my coworker. he was the first person to ever befriend me when i first moved in," roxas smiled, "of course, he's my best friend and one of the people i trust the most, despite the fact that he is an asshole all the time and cracks lewd jokes. i don't want you getting bored staying home all day, so i wanted you to meet the people who lives on this floor." naminé noticed that he said _home_ instead of _my place_. she wasn't really sure how she felt about that. comfortable? happy? safe? not really. did she make a mistake in staying? she could've just run away while he was at work.

shaking her insecurities away, naminé commented, "he sounds like a nice person."

"he is...once you get to know him." roxas chuckled at some of his memories with axel. they had some crazy times together. he walked inside and fell back on the couch.

naminé nodded absentmindedly. roxas gestured to naminé to sit. she hesitated once again before sitting on the arm of the couch. "what are the other people on this floor like?" she asked.

roxas paused for a few seconds before answering. "well, they're generally nice. sora is an all-around nice guy if you don't give him any alcohol or coffee, his fiancé kairi gets a little overexcited when you talk about stuff she likes with her, and xion is really quiet and a bit hard to talk to. axel is a bit of a pyromaniac. don't worry, he's stopped carrying a lighter around with him everywhere, so he won't be putting anything on fire anytime soon," he added quickly when he says naminé's surprised expression.

"they're all really nice people. i'm sure they'll love you. maybe we can get a chance to see them tomorrow!" roxas grinned at the thought and glanced at his watch. 10:45pm. they've only just started to talk to each other and he's already feeling tired. yawning and stretching, he managed to croak out, "i don't think i really have an appetite tonight. work really drained a lot out of me. i guess i'll skip dinner and go to sleep," he headed towards the bathroom, "there's probably food in the fridge or you can order takeout if you get hungry."

naminé frowned at his back. "you shouldn't skip your meals just because you're too tired. eat some dinner or else you'll regret it tomorrow."

"huh?" roxas turned around to look at naminé, surprised. "but there's no ready-made food..."

naminé frowned. "i-i'll make some for you, so go take a shower and come back to eat."

roxas raised an eyebrow at naminé's bold decision. this is certainly out of character for someone like her. "alright then," he said uncertainly, remembering naminé's previous attempt to help him, "be careful, okay?"

"of course! what else would you expect me to be?" was naminé's offended reply.

roxas chuckled and left the room. when he left, naminé let out a sigh and mulled over what just happened. did she seriously just offer to make dinner for him? after all the trouble she caused? she barely even knew the guy and she's already acting like a housewife! well, a housewife-in-training. naminé frowned and walked over to the fridge. some eggs were there along with orange juice, milk, butter, syrup, jam and some vegetables in plastic bags. there wasn't much to make anything good out of. she checked the cabinets. cereal, crackers, some nuts, dried fruit, granola bars, pancake mix... pancake mix? her mind flashed back to this morning, when roxas was waving his spatula around shouting_ nobody can resist my pancakes!_ she could make pancakes...it looked easy enough. all she had to do was follow the instructions, right? she reached up and grabbed the box of mix.

well, it's better than nothing.

* * *

roxas got out of the bathroom about ten minutes later. he had a towel around his head and a tshirt and sweatpants on. walking back into the living room/kitchen, he looked around for naminé and found her flipping pancakes...and failing. he chuckled and walked around the counter, watching her struggle with the heavy pan.

"having technical difficulties?" he joked. naminé jumped and almost dropped the pan at the sound of his voice. she turned, looking slightly annoyed.

"no!" she snapped, "i'm doing perfectly fine making these pancakes." she turned back to flip it again. the pancake flipped up and landed on the edge of the pan.

"at least you didn't miss your mark entirely this time."

naminé glared at him. she moved the pancake back to its place with her hands and flipped it onto a plate of pancakes beside her when it was ready. going into the fridge, she took out some maple syrup, poured it over the small stack and placed it before roxas.

"now," she ordered, hands on her hips, "eat."

roxas chuckled and picked up his fork. "as you wish, princess."

naminé frowned and drowned his pancakes in more syrup as punishment.

* * *

when roxas came home the next day, he found the apartment empty. he shrugged it off, thinking that namine is just out for a few minutes to get something to eat. so he waited.

after one hour, he thought maybe she was eating out, though he has no idea if she has any money on her or not.

after another two hours, he figured that naminé bumped into someone who knows her, maybe her family or someone from her _real_ home.

by the time the metal hands on his clock in his living room ticked to 11:30pm, he caved in to his hunger and grabbed a cup of instant noodles to feed his stomach. plopping onto his couch (which was all neat and had the blankets he used last night laid neatly over the couch thanks to naminé), roxas took his pair of chopsticks and began to eat rather ravenously. his eyes glanced at the clock, then to the open balcony doors that was letting in some fresh air and the noises of the people and cars under him. _she must've gone back to where she came from_, the blonde thought. _why am i even worrying over her? it's not like she lives with me. naminé..._ he said the last part out loud, as if trying to console himself by pretending that she was still by him.

sighing to himself again, he got up to take a shower and turn himself in for the night. when he was ready for bed, he didn't go to his room like he normally would. that night, he slept on the couch for the second consecutive night that week.

* * *

hello friends welcome to chapter two of ethereal! i hope you like it so far (sniffs)

i will hopefulyl be on enough to be able to update weekly, so i hope you enjoy this and please review ; u ;


	3. Chapter 3

roxas woke up to sunlight pouring through his balcony and the sound of cars beeping and people yelling outside. _did i leave the doors open last night?_ was the only coherent thought he could make in his groggy state. he squinted around his room for the time. wait, this wasn't his room...? he suddenly realized that he was in his living room and sat up suddenly, remembering what happened last night. or, well, what _didn't_ happen last night.

_naminé! _now fully awake, he looked around, noting the time while doing so. 9:50am. thank goodness he had the day off today, as it was sunday and nobody deserves to work on a sunday. plus his boss was quite the religious man and despite showing a cranky side to his employees, he had a soft spot for family. this roxas found out from being friends with axel, his boss's nephew.

after getting up and finishing his morning routine, roxas ruffled his hair and sat down to think. it's not like naminé couldn't take care of herself. the girl looked around roxas's age, if not younger, and had a calm air around her. plus, he's only known her for less than 36 hours. he's not in a position where he can demand for her presence or go to the police.

_i'll just continue with my life as usual,_ he thought. it's not like he can spend the day outside looking for her, no matter how many times he contemplated it and how much he wanted to. he doesn't own her. if she left on her own, then she is obviously capable of taking care of herself...right?

roxas grumbled to himself and went back to sleep.

* * *

two days later, roxas came home from work to find a small figure huddled in front of his apartment building.

"naminé?"

the girl looked up at the sound of her name. "roxas!" her soft voice called out.

"what are you doing here? where were you? what is that?" he fired question after question, the last one directed to a bag she was clutching to her chest.

"oh, this?" she looked down in surprise, as if she hadn't realized she was holding it. "here," she held it out to him, "it's for you. thank you very much for letting me stay in your home those two days."

roxas reluctantly accepted and glanced inside the bag. "a gift for me? naminé, you don't have to, i took you in that day because i wanted to. wait, is this...an _lv_ wallet!? where did you get the money for it!? it must've cost you a fortune! i don't need something this expensive," he tried to push it back to her, but she simply shook her head.

"it doesn't matter where or how i got it. what matters is that you understand and accept my gratitude." she gave him a small smile, so small that roxas almost had to squint to see it. but it was there.

"..." roxas didn't reply. he was still trying to digest the fact that naminé was _here_, again, right in front of him. they stood together in silence until someone tapped roxas on the shoulder.

"excuse me, but can i get by? you're blocking the entrance."

"oh!" roxas turned and moved out of the way, naminé mirroring his movements, "i'm sorry." he watched the stranger walk into the building and glanced at naminé from the corner of his eyes. she was staring at the ground uncomfortably.

"...well, would you like to come in, naminé?" he asked gently. her name rolled off his tongue naturally, as if it was her name was made so he could say it.

naminé looked at him in surprise, but her face quickly smoothed over to a polite expression. "of course."

naminé never told him why she left. he never asked. it's not like it was his business, anyway. they quickly got used to each other and adapted to a certain schedule everyday; naminé wakes roxas up in the morning, she makes coffee for him as he gets ready for work, sees him off, then does whatever she felt like doing for that day. when he comes back home, they sit together and eat whatever was for dinner that day and chat. after that, they say goodnight to each other and each go to their respective places to sleep (roxas was back in his room after the two had an argument about who should get the bed. naminé threatened to leave again if he didn't sleep in his own proper room).

* * *

two days after naminé came back, roxas suggested that they go out for dinner tomorrow night.

naminé looked like she wanted to go, but she frowned. "i don't have any nice clothes to wear, though." for the past two days, she's been borrowing roxas's oversized clothing to wear instead of the skimpy clothes she has. today she was wearing one of his basketball shorts and a t-shirt several sizes too big on her.

roxas ruffled his hair and examined her for a few seconds. "you look around the same size as one of my neighbors. i can go and ask her to borrow some clothes for you."

"oh, you don't have to, i don't want to trouble any-"

"i'm sure she'll be happy to comply. this also gives me the opportunity to introduce you to her, too. you must be pretty bored, hanging around the apartment all day." he _did_ give her a spare key and the password to enter the building, but somehow roxas doubted that she left very often.

"come on, let's introduce you to kairi and sora." he walked out of his apartment, naminé in toll, and knocked on the door next to his.

"whooooo is iiiit?" a high pitched voice singsonged as she opened the door. "oh! it's roxas! i haven't seen you in a while, how have you been? come in!"

"hey kairi," roxas smiled as he obeyed her. naminé followed timidly, sticking closely behind roxas.

"oooh who'd you bring with you? is she your girlfriend!? she's so cute!" kairi squealed.

naminé slowly unstuck herself from roxas's back. "hello, my name is naminé." she said politely.

"hi, naminé! that's a really pretty name!" kairi grabbed her hand and shook it with both of hers. "i'm kairi. nice to meet you!"

"n-nice to make your acquaintance. and thank you." naminé bewilderedly answered back to the enthusiastic welcome.

"gosh, she's a polite one, isn't she," kairi said to roxas. she turned back to naminé, "have you met sora yet? SORA, COME HERE! ROXAS BROUGHT HIS GIRLFRIEND OVER!"

the two winced at kairi's sudden yelling. "she's not my girlfriend, naminé's just a friend who's staying with me at the moment." roxas quickly denied the outburst.

"oh, so she's _just a friend_, huh? yeah, i'll see for myself if you're just friends."

"WHO JUST DIED?" a tall man with a mess of brown hair crashed into kairi, eliciting an "ow!" from her. "oh, sorry, kai."

"no one died, sora," roxas sighed, "i just wanted to ask kairi to do a favor for me. and to introduce a friend of mine that's staying with me, naminé. naminé, this is sora. sora, meet naminé." he gestured from naminé to sora. the said girl smiled politely and gave him her hellos and nice to meet yous.

sora opened his mouth to say his greetings, but kairi cut him off before he could utter a word. "you want me to do a favor for _you_!? the calm, cool and collected, the always independent, reliable roxas hikari?" kairi exclaimed, "this is a once in a lifetime chance! what ever does the great roxas want from little ol' me? food? clothes? a place to sleep? or perhaps love advice?"

"actually, yes, i need to borrow some clothes from you. you see, naminé doesn't really have any nice clothes at the moment, so i was thinking you could lend her some for tomorrow."

"of course!" kairi chirped. "come on naminé, let's see what we can do with you!" she grabbed naminé's wrist and dragged her deeper inside the apartment.

once inside what looks to be sora and kairi's bedroom, kairi finally stopped dragging her around and turned to face her. she pulled naminé's wrist up examining it.

"gosh, you have a really thin wrist. you should eat more." kairi commented offhandedly. "anyway," she let go and opened another door that led to her closet, "i have a lot of clothes, so i'm happy to give you some! sora used to complain about how he doesn't have space for his own clothes in the closet so we ended up having to get another closet for him. it's not like he has a lot of clothes, anyway, i don't see why he's complaining..." she continued to rant about how sora has lots of room for his stuff and so on. naminé tuned her out as she followed her into the walk-in closet.

"...and i know i'm ranting and you probably weren't exactly listening, so let's get started on clothing you!" naminé snapped out of it and looked embarrassed as kairi smiled at her warmly. "it's okay, everybody tends to do that. even i wouldn't want to listen to myself rant about stupid things."

she smiled back at her. "thanks for helping me with my clothing situation. roxas decided that we would eat out tomorrow, and i don't really think restaurants would let people in with this sort of attire on..." she gestured at herself, basketball shorts and all.

"that is very true. have you been wearing roxas's clothes this whole time? i am so sorry." kairi laughed.

"well, i've only been here for a couple days, so it's not bad. plus his clothes are comfortable."

the redhead gave her a suspicious look. "really..." she turned back to her clothes and changed the topic. "so what kind of clothes do you usually wear?"

naminé knows exactly what kind of clothes she wears. she cringed inwardly at her recollection. "i guess nothing eye catching. something modest and simple. i really don't really care, as long as i'm allowed in a restaurant with it on..."

"...so can i use you as my doll?"

"what?"

kairi's eyes were shining, begging her to say yes. "can i use you as my dress up doll? you look so small and delicate and your blonde hair and blue eyes make you look like one. am i coming out as creepy now? oh gosh, i'm sorry, but seriously. can you be my dress up doll."

"uh...i would love to?"

"YES! this is going to be so fun!"

* * *

roxas sat on an armchair next to sora, who was on the couch.

"sooooo...she _is_ your girlfriend, right?"

"no! why are you and kairi so interested in my love life?"

"well, you know kairi. and plus, the fact that you're always single is quite interesting. very mysterious." he nodded to himself, agreeing with himself.

"i'm sorry i'm not interested in romantic pursuits." roxas replied sarcastically.

"apology accepted. do you know how boring it is around here? xion refuses to hook up with riku no matter how much kairi tries to set them up together, and axel already has larxene, who we'd rather stay away from. and there's you. a perfectly healthy young man. single. alone. _forever._"

"sorry i'm not interesting enough to entertain you two."

"you should be sorry! although now it's pretty interesting. where'd you find naminé? you're not the type to invite random strangers to live with you, and i _know_ for a fact that you two are not friends. there's no way. i know all your friends, and i have never seen her in my life!"

roxas sighed. "it's a long story. in the end, she's staying with me for god knows how long and if she wants to leave, i have no right to stop her. she's already left before and she just came back recently."

"woah, what? this sounds like you two are lovers or something. you sure she's not your girlfriend?"

"yes, i am su-"

"_YES!_" kairi's voice interrupted their conversation. sora sighed.

"sounds like you two won't be leaving for a while," he commented, "you wanna stay here for dinner?"

roxas mirrored him, sighing as he shrugged. "yeah, why not."

* * *

naminé became quick friends with kairi. soon, they were laughing together at a ridiculous hairstyle kairi decided to do for naminé.

"you," kairi said between laughs, "look like a poodle."

naminé frowned and crossed her arms. "get my hair back to normal please."

"aw," she tried to smother her giggles with the hand not holding the curling iron, "you look so cute though!"

"kairi..."

"alright alright, i'll just do a simple yet elegant bun for you, okay?"

"anything but this!"

kairi grabbed a hairbrush and quickly pull naminé's hair to a nice bun settled on top of her head. she smiled, satisfied with herself, and turned naminé's chair back to the mirror.

"ta-da! do you like it?"

naminé's happy smile slowly faded away as she looked at her reflection and her laughter faded away. she was quiet, staring at her image in the mirror. kairi noticed her sudden change of demeanor and bent forward to look at naminé.

"naminé?" she said confusedly, "are you okay?"

hearing her name, naminé snapped out of her reverie. she forced on a bright smile. "yes, i'm okay. why do you ask?"

kairi frowned. "well, you stopped laughing all of a sudden and got really quiet."

naminé smiled. "it's nothing. i was just reminded of something from a long time ago." she turned back to her reflection in the mirror and put a hand on the bun kairi made.

"do you mind if i take this out?" she asked, "i'm getting a little cold." kairi shrugged, and naminé took the elastic holding her hair together out, combing her fingers to tame her hair as it came down. she faced kairi and smiled. it looked even more forced this time.

"come on, roxas and sora are waiting for us in the living room."

kairi slowly nodded, unsure about naminé and her… sudden fakeness. she shook out of her thoughts and looked at the clock. "you two are probably having dinner here, considering the time. they must be waiting for us."

"let's go then!" naminé chirped cheerily as she left the room, leaving kairi to stand alone in her befuddlement.

kairi paused before following her out. _the room isn't cold at all_, she thought.

* * *

as soon as naminé entered the room cheerfully, roxas knew there was something wrong.

_namin_é _has never been this happy in the week i've known her_, he observed. _but then again, i haven't even known her for that long_, he thought as he frowned to himself.

"kairi told me that we were having dinner with them, roxas! is that true?" naminé smiled.

roxas looked at her straight in the eyes, taking her by surprise. he detected the underlying layer of sadness, even more so than before. "yeah," he drawled out. he pulled her to the side, intending to talk to her in private.

"naminé," he whispered, "is something wrong?"

naminé, confused by the sudden action, stared at him with bewilderment in her eyes. "no, nothing is wrong. why do you ask?" she replied.

roxas frowned, knowing that she was lying. he gave up and backed away. "no reason," was his answer. he turned around, going back to his previous position on the couch.

sora, who was present during the entire little scene between the two, shot him a look of confusion. roxas shook his head.

kairi finally entered the room, shouting, "alright! food time!" boisterously, and ran into the kitchen to start making their dinner. naminé followed.

roxas stared her retreating back, wondering what sort of secrets the young woman hid underneath those sad eyes.

* * *

naminé and roxas got home later than they expected, getting caught up in the happy atmosphere and chatter of kairi and sora. roxas's apartment was much quieter and peaceful compared to the noisy banter of sora and kairi's.

the two stood together in silence for a few seconds until naminé broke the silence.

"i'm going to go change," she informed him quietly and left the living room.

he sighed and plopped down on the couch. as soon as they got home, naminé's false cheeriness slipped away. he wasn't sure whether or not he was thankful for that.

roxas sat there for a few moments before deciding to go take a shower. he headed to his room to grab his clothes, reaching out to push the door open before he caught a glimpse of platinum blonde hair.

holding back a gasp, roxas retracted his hand and almost flew out of the hallway and back into the living room. but something stopped him from doing that.

bruises. small and big purple spots lined naminé's naked back and sides as she changed. he saw it for only a few seconds before they disappeared under the white cotton that was his shirt, however they were dark enough that they stood out vividly on her pale skin.

realizing that naminé was going to leave the room and see him standing outside watching her change like a pervert, roxas raced back to his spot on the couch as silently as possible. it had just barely been a minute since he landed on the couch when naminé stepped into the room. roxas tried to act as normally as possible, as if he hadn't just seen naminé in such a condition.

_act cool_, he thought, _act cool, roxas._ "so, did you like meeting kairi and sora?"

naminé looked up, surprised that he was still sitting there. her gaze fluttered down to the floor. "yes, they are very...energetic," she smiled at the floor.

roxas nodded. "sometimes they get a little too noisy and start fighting. it's entertaining the first couple times."

"hmm…" the conversation tapered off and roxas decided to get up and do his nightly routine.

"i'm gonna take a shower, if you don't mind me going first," he said as he got up and stretched. naminé nodded and sat down next to his former seat. she watched him walk out the hall.

she leaned back in her seat and was hit with a sudden memory. her mother, smiling up at her from her deathbed. her warm blue eyes turned a burning cold in her last moments with her daughter.

"_i remarried a rich, well-off man, suffered through his wretched personality and lived with him for 16 years. and for what? to raise my poor daughter who turned out wrong in every way possible, who took after her stupid real father more than me, who tried to run away and leave me to suffer at the hands of an abusive husband. it's your fault," _she said, voice dropping to a whisper, _"all of it is your fault."_

naminé had run away in panic and hysteria after that, terrified of her warm, loving mother who had gone through such a sudden change in personality. later that night, she spotted her step-father sneaking away from her mother's room.

she died the next day. her step-father avoided her gaze from then on. once she had heard him turn away and mutter, _"god damn child looks too much like that bitch."_ he remarried another woman a few months after.

and naminé knew. she knew why her mother turned out that way, knew why she hated her so much. she knew why her step-father avoided her so much, why all the servants gossip about her whenever she turned her back. she had known all along.

and she hates herself for it.

"naminé?" an unfamiliar voice woke her from her memory, "are you sleeping?"

she opened her eyes. roxas's concerned face filled her vision. "i'm okay," she blinked and slowly got up, roxas backing away to give her room.

"you looked like you were having a nightmare," roxas said. he cautiously placed his hand on her shoulder, just barely brushing it before pulling back. "you okay?"

"i'm okay," she repeated for the third time that day. she stood up and teetered a little.

this time roxas didn't hesitate to grab her shoulder to steady her. he reached towards her face and wiped away something wet on her cheek. "you're crying," he stated quietly. naminé touched her cheeks in surprise. wet, salty tears. "i know i haven't known you long," roxas continued, "but you can honestly trust me with anything, okay? don't hold anything back from me," he pulled her in for a brief hug before pulling away, afraid that she would reject him and call him creepy or something.

naminé was quiet as she looked away. roxas frowned a little. had he finally crossed the line and angered her? "naminé?"

that was when he noticed her hand clutching the edge of his shirt tightly, as if it was her lifeline. his expression softened and he put his hand over hers.

"come on, you need some sleep."

* * *

wow i can't believe this thing is still happening? i doubt anyone reads this anyways though so oh well

anyway, apologies for taking so long to put this up! i forgot about it over break and just remembered to put up the third chapter. hopefully i can get my butt working and maybe possibly get the fourth chapter up by the next month (or two? bc busy)

please read and review! ; u ; it would be extremely much appreciated


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